Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Unscramble These Common Phrases?

Monica Lee

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About This Quiz

Idioms and figures of speech have evolved along with our everyday language. From "as easy as pie" to "everything but the kitchen sink," these adages originate from shared cultural experiences. And not just the American experience. For instance, in France you may hear the saying, "to seize the moon by the teeth" which means to attempt the impossible. Or eavesdrop on an Italian conversation and hear someone say "He's reheating cabbage," which means rekindling an old flame. Where we might say "when pigs fly" the Russians say "when the crayfish sings in the mountain" to suggest it will never happen.

So why do we use these common sayings? According to grammarly.com, "idioms can amplify messages in a way that draws readers in and helps to awaken their senses." For instance, think about the phrase "right off the bat". Can you hear the crack of the bat as it strikes the ball? Then visualize the ball whizzing past you? The phrase, "right off the bat" is simply more descriptive than saying, "immediately."

You'll find that the common sayings in this quiz are familiar to you. You may have heard them when growing up and may still use them today. By simply seeing the words, even scrambled, your brain will recognize the correct verbiage. Go on, you got this. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Take the quiz now.

"Shame me once, fool on you, shame me twice fool on me." It'd be a shame if you didn't get this one. What is it?

Once fool me, shame on you, twice fool me shame on me.

Shame on you, fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.

Once me shame, fool on you, twice me shame fool on me.

The origin may come for this Italian proverb, "He that deceives me once, it's his fault; but if twice, it's my fault." It means if you fall for a deception or trick once, the person who orchestrated it is to blame. But if it happens again, you haven't learned from experience and you're to blame.

"Chopped what, liver am I?" You won't be this, if you answer correctly.

What chopped liver, am I?

Liver what, chopped am I?

What liver am I, chopped?

What am I, chopped liver?

Some believe this expression came about because in the olden days, liver was not as desirable to eat as other foods. So if you feel like chopped liver, you feel like your feelings or opinions are being given less attentinon than others.

What's this unscrambled? "If you can't get out of the stand, the kitchen heat."

If you can't stand the kitchen, get out of the heat.

If you can't get out, stand the heat of the kitchen.

The heat of the kitchen if you can't stand, get out.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Today, the "heat" of the kitchen means a situation that is high pressure. So if you can't handle the pressure of the environment, you should probably leave.

How about this one? "Away the doctor a day keeps apple an."

A day doctor an apple keeps the away.

The away doctor keeps an apple a day.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A day keeps an apple the doctor away.

This is sage advice. It means that if you eat healthy, like eating fruits and vegetables, it may keep you from having to see a doctor for health issues.

"Book a judge you can't by its cover." You've know this one, how do you say it correctly?

Its cover you can't book a judge by.

You can't judge a book by its cover.

You can't cover a book by its judge.

You can't judge a cover by its book.

This saying means you should not judge someone or something by how they look. There is more to a person than their appearance.

"Come what goes must up down." This can't be right, what is it?

What come must up goes down.

What goes down must come up.

Come down must goes up what.

What goes up must come down.

Things that go up must eventually return to the earth due to gravity. However, today people use it to describe the stock market and other types of fluctuations.

"A little dangerous is a knowledge thing." Wait, that doesn't make sense. What does?

Dangerous a little knowledge is a thing.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Little is a knowledge a thing dangerous.

A little thing is dangerous a knowledge.

Did you know the original phrase is "A little learning is a dangerous thing." It's found in Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Criticism" in 1709.

"Place same never lightning strikes the twice." You've heard this. What is it?

The same place twice lightning never strikes .

Strikes the place never same twice lightning.

Lightning never strikes the same place twice.

The never lightning same place strikes twice.

If you're out in a lightning storm, don't heed this advice. Today, this saying means an unusual event is unlikely to happen to the same person twice. Let the odds be with you.

"The race slow and steady wins." What is the actual idiom?

Slow and steady wins the race.

Steady and slow wins the race.

The slow race wins and steady.

Race steady and the slow wins.

If you ever read the fable about the tortoise and the Hare, you know this one. The idiom means that if you want to reach your goal, you need to be persistent and focused, like a tortoise.

Here's one that's as easy as pie. "Like in a fish shooting barrel."

Like fish barrel in a shooting.

Shooting barrel like in a fish.

In a fish like barrel shooting.

Like shooting fish in a barrel.

There are a lot of these phrases that mean it's an easy task. For instance, "easy as pie", "easy as 1,2, 3" and "like taking candy from a baby".

"The when the meets rubber road." So what does that mean?

When the road meets the rubber.

When the rubber meets the road.

The road meets when the rubber.

Rubber when the road the meets.

There is more than one wording of this common phase, it is also referenced as "when the rubber hits the road". Either way, it means when the event actually happens and it becomes serious business.

"Old new tricks you dog can't teach an." What does this mean unscrambled?

An old dog you can't teach new tricks.

Dog tricks you can't new teach an old.

Tricks new you teach an old dog can't.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Although the idea of it being hard to teach someone older something new has been around since the early 1500s, you CAN actually teach an old dog new tricks.

"Out it park of knock the." Catching on? What's the actual saying?

The park it out of knock.

Park of the knock it out.

Knock it out of the park.

Out it the knock of park.

If you knock the ball out of the park in baseball, you get a home run, which is the best thing you can do in baseball. This term is also used in non-sports activities to convey something went exceptionally well. "My presentation knocked it out of the park!"

"The gift a horse, look in don't mouth." What is the popular saying?

A horse gift, don't look in the mouth.

Look a gift, don't in the horse mouth.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Don't mouth the horse gift in a look.

If you're looking a horse in the mouth, it's to find out the horse's age by noting how long the teeth are (older=longer). That is not a polite thing to do when the horse is a gift. Instead, you should be grateful and not try to gauge its worth in front of the gift-giver.

Take a breather with this easy one. "Over don't milk cry spilled."

Don't cry over spilled milk.

Milk don't spilled cry over.

Spilled don't over cry milk.

Over milk cry spilled don't.

This common phrase means you shouldn't worry about things that have already happened because you can't change them. It's in the past.

"Together birds flock of a feather." What's the proper way to say this?

Feather flock birds of a together.

Birds of flock feather together.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Of a flock, birds feather together.

When unscrambled, "Birds of a feather flock together" means that people tend to hang out with others who have similar interests or values.

"Out of the cat, let the bag." What meow are you saying?

Let the cat out of the bag.

The bag let out of the cat.

Let out of the bag the cat.

Of the cat the bag let out.

Don't get hissy if you didn't get this right. When you let the cat out of the bag, it means you're letting a secret escape your lips. Let's hope you're not being catty by telling that secret.

"The has left Elvis building." What should this common phrase really be?

The building has Elvis left.

The Elvis building has left.

Elvis has left the building.

The left has the Elvis building.

This phrase was originally used to disband crowds who had amassed to see Elvis Presley. Since Elvis is no longer with us, the phrase is used to mean 'the show is over, it's time to go home now.' In other words, it is still used to disband crowds.

"Has a cloud every lining silver." What is this common phrase?

A lining silver, every cloud has.

Has every cloud a silver lining.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Has cloud a silver lining every.

When the sun shines under a rain cloud, it looks as if it has a silver lining. This phrase is used to remind people to be optimistic, even in difficult times. As in the sun will shine after it rains.

"Master of all, Jack trades of none." What should it really be?

Jack of all trades, master of none.

Master of none, Jack of all trades.

Trades of all Jack, master of none.

Master of all trades, Jack of none.

You're a generalist, not a specialist if you're a Jack of all tracks and master of none. It means you have adequate skills in many things, but you're not an expert in any of them.

"The the that camel's broke back straw."

That broke the straw the camel's back.

The straw that broke the camel's back.

The straw the camel's back that broke.

Broke the straw that the camel's back.

A series of annoying occurrences that eventually lead to one final thing that causes a person to lose their patience.

It doesn't make sense. "A hard rock place and a between." How do you say it correctly?

Between a rock and a hard place.

A rock and between a place hard.

A place a hard rock and between.

Hard between a place and a rock.

Being faced with two tough choices is difficult, especially when neither are satisfactory. It's the best of two evils.

"But everything sink the kitchen." What is this popular saying?

Sink everything but the kitchen.

Kitchen but everything the sink.

Everything but the kitchen sink.

The sink, but everything kitchen.

If you're bringing everything with you but the kitchen sink, you've got most everything you own packed up and ready to roll. If your thoughts or ideas cover "everything but the kitchen sink" it means your vision includes nearly everything possible.

"His soon money are a fool and parted." How can you change this to make it make sense?

Soon are his money and a fool parted.

Are his money and a fool soon parted.

His fool money are a soon and parted.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

These are definitely words of wisdom. It means that it's easy for someone acting foolish with their money to lose it ... quickly.

"Shop in a bull china." Huh? What is this unscrambled?

Bull in a china shop.

Shop in a china bull.

Bull shop in a china.

Shop china in a bull.

Tripping over your feet or on nothing at all? Constantly knocking over things? Your friends might refer to you as a bull in a china shop. It's a person who breaks things because they are clumsy.

"Your hatch don't count before your chickens." Say what?

Before your chickens hatch don't count them.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

They don't count your hatch before chickens.

Your chickens hatch before they don't count.

Everyone likes to dream about what might happen if several positive events unfold, but this adage tell you not to rely on it happening, until it actually does.

"Out of a mountain making a molehill." So, what's the actual saying?

Out of a molehill making of a mountain.

A molehill making out of a mountain.

Making a mountain out of a molehill

Out of a making a mountain molehill.

It means you are exaggerating. A molehill is small, and a mountain is big. If you're making a mountain out of a molehill, you are escalating a small issue into a much bigger problem than it is.

You'll have to be sharp to get this one. "Not the shed in the tool sharpest."

Tool not in the shed the sharpest.

Not the shed in the sharpest tool.

Sharpest in the tool not the shed.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed.

This saying is comparable to "not the sharpest crayon in the box". It means the person you are referring to isn't witty or sharp but somewhat stupid.

"Lead but you can't a horse to drink you can water make him." What is this common phrase?

You can lead a horse to drink, but you can't make him water.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

You can make him water a horse, but you can't lead to drink.

But you can lead a horse to water, you can't make him drink.

This sage phrase means you can provide all possible opportunities to someone, but you can't make them take advantage of them. It has to be of their own free will.

"Which or the egg first, came the chicken." Confused? You got this.

The egg which came first, or the chicken?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Or which came the first, the chicken egg?

Egg came first, the chicken or the which?

When you're using this phrase, you're describing a dilemma where it is not clear who or what caused something.

"Stones who live in glass houses shouldn't throw people." This is a cinch, what is it?

Glass houses shouldn't throw people who live in stones.

Shouldn't glass houses who live in people throw stones.

People who live in stones shouldn't throw houses.

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Most people think this means one shouldn't be a hypocrite. However, the actual meaning is closer to, don't criticize if you can't take criticism yourself, or "if you can't take it, don't dish it out".

"The fat lady till it ain't over sings" Who the heck is this fat lady, and what's the right way to say this?

Till the fat lady sings it ain't over.

Sings it ain't over the lady till fat.

It ain't over till the fat lady sings.

Ain't it over till the fat lady sings.

The origin of this phrase may be from opera, which is usually a very long performance and doesn't end until the star has their solo. However, its first recorded use is believed to be from Ralph Carpenter in the Dallas Morning News, March 1976, in relationship to sports. He meant that the game's outcome isn't set in stone until the very end, because things could change.

"Right day even a clock is broken a twice. What is this idiom?

Twice a day even a broken clock is right.

A clock is right even broken twice a day.

A day even a right clock is broken twice.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day

This saying is comparable to a person who gives bad advice or unreliable information. Like a broken clock, that person can still be correct at times.

"Black the kettle calling the pot." What is the right answer?

The black kettle calling the pot.

Black the kettle pot the calling.

Calling the black pot the kettle.

The pot calling the kettle black.

This sage advice warns you to be careful when you criticize. Make sure you don't have the same faults as the person you are disparaging.

"It's up to be cracked it's not all." Can you unscramble this?

It's not all cracked it's up to be.

It's to be cracked up it's not all.

Be not all it's cracked up it's to be.

It's not all it's cracked up to be.

If someone asks you about a movie that was hyped up in the press, you might say, "It's not all it's cracked up to be." In other words, it's not that great, or as great as people think it is.

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